What it has going for it
What changes on the night the power goes out
Gasoline or propane. Propane keeps for years in a sealed tank and won't gum up the carburetor between storms; gasoline gives you more watts. Propane is rated lower, so find that figure in the manual.
50 amp outlet. The big plug that feeds a 50 amp inlet box, a transfer switch or a 50 amp RV. One cord carries both legs of 240 V, which is how the well pump and the furnace get power without extension cords through a window.
CO shutoff. It watches for carbon monoxide building up around the unit and shuts the engine off, per the listing. A backup only: the generator still runs outside, about 20 ft from the house, exhaust pointing away.
Extension cords or a transfer switch?
Extension cords: run a heavy cord from the DuroMax XP15000HX's 120 V outlets (GFCI-protected, per the listing) to the fridge and the freezer, and you're set for a night. Hard-wired loads like the furnace and the well pump can't join in that way.
A transfer switch: the listing names a 50 amp outlet, and the seller calls it transfer-switch ready. An inlet box on the outside wall takes that plug, and an electrician wires it to a transfer switch or an interlock. After that, the furnace and the well pump run off the generator as well; the electrician's bill comes on top.
